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Layered Chicken Enchiladas

A casserole favorite adapted to the slow cooker. You can easily make this with beef or chorizo: brown ground beef (or sausage) seasoned with salt and pepper in a pan—the most important thing is to render as much fat as possible—and use this to replace the chicken. Or really change it up and substitute drained canned beans. So versatile!

Prep Time:30 minutes

Total Time:2 hours

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup (about 2 ounces) chili powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt

4 cups homemade chicken stock or packaged low-sodium chicken broth

Two 15-ounce cans tomato sauce

4 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

Sixteen 6-inch corn tortillas

¾ cup crumbled Cotija cheese, for garnish

1 bunch green onions, chopped, for garnish

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Sour cream, for serving

Directions

Heat the oil in a 2-quart or larger pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chili powder, oregano, cumin, and salt, and cook for 30 seconds longer. Stir in the chicken stock and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, until the flavors are blended. Set the enchilada sauce aside to cool. 2. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with the cheddar, Monterey Jack, and chopped onion.

Add 1 cup of the enchilada sauce to a 6-quart slow cooker and top it with 4 tortillas (they will slightly overlap). Add 2 cups of the chicken-cheese filling, spreading it evenly, and top with 4 more tortillas. Continue to build two more layers of sauce/filling/tortillas. Top the final layer with 1 cup of the sauce. Cook on high for 2 hours. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, pour another ½ cup of sauce over the top. Shortly before serving, garnish the enchilada with the Cotija, green onions, and cilantro. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Then cut it into individual portions and serve with the remaining sauce and the sour cream alongside.